The Port Adventures we were hoping for were sold out on booking day...

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Anyone have suggestions?

In St. Kitts, we were hoping for the 4x4 safari. We would like to do a tour of the rainforest.

In Antigua, we were hoping for the kayak and snorkeling combo. Something along those lines would be great.

Thanks!

 

[g_ppetto]

If they are DCL arranged activities, the Navigator you receive when you check in at the port will have information regarding where to go, once you board, to make reservations for Port Adventures. You should also see information regarding where to go to make reservations for tastings, brunch, and other on board activities. View some of the first day Navigators for similar cruises to see how the information appears on the page.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Anyone have suggestions?

In St. Kitts, we were hoping for the 4x4 safari. We would like to do a tour of the rainforest.

In Antigua, we were hoping for the kayak and snorkeling combo. Something along those lines would be great.

Thanks!

Don't give up hope.

Unlike most other cruise lines, DCL doesn't require payment for excursions at the time of booking. So you get a lot of people who book things "just in case". They then wind up cancelling them when they make up their mind if they don't want to do them.

I suggest you keep an eye on the excursion bookings all the way up until 3 days prior to embarkation (the day that you are locked into paying for excursions). Often things open up.

Another trick - if only one or two slots open up on an excursion you want, even if there are more of you, go ahead and book them. Then add additional people as the space opens up. If nothing opens up, you can still cancel without penalty up until 3 days before the cruise starts.

 

[TestingH2O]

We are doing Greg's Safari in St Kitts. We booked independently.

I'm not much help on Antigua as I think we are just going to explore the port and take it easy.

 

[starvenger]

I think that you should look at some 3rd party excursions. You can usually find something you'd like to do, and often at a cheaper price.

The usual caveats about non-cruise excursions apply of course. And make sure you research the your operator to see if they are reputable and reliable.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

We are doing Greg's Safari in St Kitts. We booked independently.

I'm not much help on Antigua as I think we are just going to explore the port and take it easy.

How did you learn about this company? It looks the same or at least similar to the Disney one we were interested in.

 

[TestingH2O]

How did you learn about this company? It looks the same or at least similar to the Disney one we were interested in.

Reading trip reports here and on Cruise Critic. Examining TripAdvisor reviews.

This is how I've found all of our third party excursions and we have been very happy with them all.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

We are doing Greg's Safari in St Kitts. We booked independently.

I'm not much help on Antigua as I think we are just going to explore the port and take it easy.

We decided to book with Greg's Safari also. He said the 4x4 Safari would have to be booked through DCL, so we chose the Phillips rainforest and 4x4 (on his recommendation).

 

[TestingH2O]

We decided to book with Greg's Safari also. He said the 4x4 Safari would have to be booked through DCL, so we chose the Phillips rainforest and 4x4 (on his recommendation).

Nice!

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

As a follow up:
For Antigua we booked a kayak snorkel and beach excursion through shoreexcursioneer.com

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

So the 4x4 Island Safari and Beach opened up on DCL.

Now I have to decide between that and the walking rainforest tour I booked independently. Both are by the same operator, apparently.

So, do we do the 4x4 drive through the rainforest and beach? Or, 4x4 island drive, and walking rainforest tour?

Decisions, decisions....

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Just as an update for anyone who may see this thread:

We had decided on Greg's safari as we wanted to do the walking tour.

So we get off the ship and get to the meeting place 10 min prior to departure.... and there's no one there.

I went to the tour information desk and the person there called them. At first there was no answer but eventually get through. The guy on the phone had an attitude when I asked where they were and said it's not time yet and they'll be there even its time and hung up.

I waited until 10 min past the time and still no one. We did not pay anything in advance. So we went with a tour guide who was politely chatting with us while we waited (some were obnoxiously pushy). He showed us the tour he does, but we said we were hoping for a rainforest tour, and he said no problem. So we had a private tour, just the guide and our family.

We did a 1.75 hour hike that was great. We climbed to the top of a mountain with a great view at the top. Then he drove us around to show us some sights and great views. Total time was about 3 hours (pier departure to arrival back at port) .

He originally quoted us $20 per person for a 1 hour tour (before we asked for the rainforest) and that's what he charged at the end. We gave him a very generous tip.

Even including the tip, it worked out to less than 1/3 what Greg's safari would have been, and we were extremely satisfied and had a great time.

It all worked out great, but I guess we did get a bit lucky finding a great guide.

 

[TestingH2O]

Just as an update for anyone who may see this thread:

We had decided on Greg's safari as we wanted to do the walking tour.

So we get off the ship and get to the meeting place 10 min prior to departure.... and there's no one there.

I went to the tour information desk and the person there called them. At first there was no answer but eventually get through. The guy on the phone had an attitude when I asked where they were and said it's not time yet and they'll be there even its time and hung up.

I waited until 10 min past the time and still no one. We did not pay anything in advance. So we went with a tour guide who was politely chatting with us while we waited (some were obnoxiously pushy). He showed us the tour he does, but we said we were hoping for a rainforest tour, and he said no problem. So we had a private tour, just the guide and our family.

We did a 1.75 hour hike that was great. We climbed to the top of a mountain with a great view at the top. Then he drove us around to show us some sights and great views. Total time was about 3 hours (pier departure to arrival back at port) .

He originally quoted us $20 per person for a 1 hour tour (before we asked for the rainforest) and that's what he charged at the end. We gave him a very generous tip.

Even including the tip, it worked out to less than 1/3 what Greg's safari would have been, and we were extremely satisfied and had a great time.

It all worked out great, but I guess we did get a bit lucky finding a great guide.

That is very interesting. We did end up going with Greg's but our driver was late due to car troubles. When he arrived, he thought we were doing the hike but we were just doing the rainforest and beach tour. Sounds like a miscommunication day for sure. Glad we both had a great day.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

That is very interesting. We did end up going with Greg's but our driver was late due to car troubles. When he arrived, he thought we were doing the hike but we were just doing the rainforest and beach tour. Sounds like a miscommunication day for sure. Glad we both had a great day.

Out of curiosity, what time was your tour supposed to be? Ours was scheduled for 11:00.

 

[TestingH2O]

Out of curiosity, what time was your tour supposed to be? Ours was scheduled for 11:00.

Also 11:00

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Also 11:00

We probably spoke to someone in your group while we were waiting. What time did he finally come?